Matthew 20:1-16
“It’s not fair?”
Can’t you just hear that phrase in this Gospel passage ? Not all of the vineyard workers were happy. The late comers probably could not believe their luck, they were paid for a whole day’s labour and not just the actual hour or so, thy actually worked. I think I would have been more than chuffed to receive a full day’s pay after thinking I would not get anything at all. I would have been overwhelmed by my employers generosity.
Those who did work the full day, were grumpy that the Vineyard owner paid everyone equally but they forgot that they were paid what they agreed in the morning before starting work. They were not cheated or hard done by but got a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work. Yet it is only human nature, on the whole, to want to do better than someone else. In this case the Vineyard owner tells them that he can do as he pleases with his own money and if he wishes to be generous then he can. He did not cheat anyone he just chose to treat everyone equally regardless.
Jesus tells us that the Kingdom of God is like the Vineyard owner. No one is treated any differently to anyone else in God’s Kingdom, for God loves each of us equally. We might find that hard to comprehend but in that Kingdom, not one of us is more important to God than any one else. That’s unconditional love!